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About 40 species of this genus form a peculiar and
distinctive feature of the vegetation of New Zealand and that
of the outlying islands. The rosettes of long linear leaves
differ in appearance from leaves of most other plants, and
when the large rosettes, with leaves 2 to 3 ft long, of some
species are seen in the northern kauri or the West Coast
forest, the appearance is striking. The genus belongs to the
Epacris family which is closely related to the heaths, and
the smaller members of Dracophyllum have a
heath-like appearance. Species range from prostrate
cushion-plants to small, sparsely leaved trees. Several
species usually form an important part of subalpine and
alpine scrub, fellfields, and bogs. On the central North
Island pumice plateau, monoao or Dracophyllum
subulatum is a major component of the tussock grassland
and shrubland vegetation. On hard sites, particularly on
flats and in hollows where the frost lies, it is sometimes
dominant. Some of the larger-leaved species like nei-nei or
D. latifolium are true forest plants. This
particular one occurs in the kauri forests. D.
matthewsii also occurs in northern forests while D.
townsonii and D. traversii are found in Nelson
and West Coast forests. One long-leaved species, D.
fiordense, which often has only a single head, is found
in the subalpine forest and shrubland of West Otago and
particularly in Fiordland.

Intermediate sized shrubs with intermediate sized leaves
occur in lowland and montane shrubland, along rivers and
streams, and in bogs.

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How to cite this page: 'DRACOPHYLLUM SPECIES', from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966.Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New ZealandURL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/1966/dracophyllum-species (accessed 26 May 2019)